Tuesday, January 15, 2008

NAIROBI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Kenya's new government and opposition clashed in parliament for the first time on Tuesday in a bad-tempered session reflecting deep bitterness over the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.

Despite demands for urgent action to end a crisis in which more than 600 people have been killed, opposition and government legislators argued for an hour before eventually deciding the poll for a new speaker should be secret.

"We went through (national) elections with a secret ballot, and you stole the vote," said William Ruto, of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which says it was robbed of victory in a rigged Dec. 27 presidential ballot.

Government legislators called for calm, saying the rowdy behaviour was dishonouring those who have died.

"This is the 10th election of a speaker. It has always been by secret ballot," Justice Minister Martha Karua told the house. "Some people with the title 'Honourable' in this House are planning murder and instituting murder."

Roads were closed and riot police ringed the building as Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga entered parliament at the same time, without looking at each other.

It was the first time they had been in the same room since the election.

In the 222-seat parliament, ODM commands the highest number, 99 after many of Kibaki's former ministers and supporters were swept away in the election. ODM hopes to elect its candidate Kenneth Marende as speaker.

THE Kenyan government yesterday rejected a mediation mission by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to try to end political unrest and sent a stern warning to the opposition ahead of nationwide protests.

Annan was due in Nairobi today, two weeks after President Mwai Kibaki's contested re-election sparked violence, which claimed the lives of over 600 people and displaced at least a quarter million.

But Kibaki's government again rejected international mediation of the crisis.

"If Kofi Annan is coming, he is not coming at our invitation," roads and public works minister John Michuki, a hardline member of Kibaki's new cabinet, told reporters in Nairobi. "We won the elections so we do not see the point for anyone coming to mediate power-sharing."

The country on Tuesday faces another litmus test at the ballot and by extension its now increasingly fragile democracy as the doors of the Tenth Parliament open with another high stakes political game - electing the House Speaker.

By 2.30pm, 207 MPs-elect are expected to be seated in the Chamber at the main Parliament Buildings in readiness for yet another battle, whose outcome for Party of National Unity (PNU) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) could have far-reaching political implications.

If the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) gazettes in good time some 12 Nominated MPs, who have already been picked by entitled parties and their names forwarded to Anniversary Towers, the number of combatants could swell to 219.

The nominating parties would, however, not divulge the names of their respective nominees.

This came on a day Safina Party went to court to challenge a controversial decision by Mr Samuel Kivuitu, the ECK chairman, to bar the party from picking its designated single nominee. There were also unconfirmed reports of parallel nominees lists from ODM and ODM-Kenya finding their way to Anniversary Towers.

But three MPs will still miss out in action after ECK nullified, citing irregularities, the parliamentary election outcome of three constituencies - Kamukunji, Kilgoris and Wajir West.In preparation for a fight that will again be determined by numbers, both PNU and ODM went into retreats and onto the drawing board to plot how to garner the winning numbers.

The voting is expected to be another closely contested affair, perhaps even "too close to call", as pollsters variously described the now fiercely contested presidential vote outcome between President Kibaki (PNU) and Mr Raila Odinga (ODM), whose announcement promptly plunged the country into a crisis of an unprecedented scale.

It is within this politically polarised background that MPs converge today to transact business.

Parliament in Kenya has met for the first time since disputed elections, amid continuing tension between the government and the opposition.

Security is tight, with troops deployed around the building in Nairobi.

Voting for a new Speaker, the nation's third most powerful person, is entering a second round after candidates backed by the rivals finished almost level.

There were angry exchanges earlier as the opposition said it feared the secret Speaker vote could be rigged.

We hope and we expect that eventually everybody will come to their senses, realise that we've got to learn to live with each other. Martha Karua Justice minister

Senior opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) official William Ruto said: "We went through [national] elections with a secret ballot, and you stole the vote."

But government MP Mutula Kilonzo retorted: "You are now violating the very principle this country has been seeking."

After one false start, MPs were called forward to cast secret ballots into a transparent box in the centre of the chamber.

The first round ended with 104 votes for ODM-backed Kenneth Marende and 99 for the government-backed Francis ole Kaparo. One of the other three candidates received two votes, and there were two spoilt ballots.

A two-thirds majority is needed in the second round but a simple majority will suffice in the almost inevitable third round.

NEWSEU could cut aid to Kenya- senior official Story by REUTERSPublication Date: 1/15/2008

The European Union could cut its aid to Kenya over concerns about disputed elections, the EU's top aid official said yesterday.

Another EU official said the 27-nation bloc was considering suspending all aid and imposing sanctions if mediation efforts to resolve the crisis failed.

"It's difficult to continue the same level of budgetary support if we see that the election has not been fully respected," EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel told a meeting of the European Parliament's development committee.

The crisis has dented Kenya's democratic credentials and rattled Western donors. Post-election turmoil, in which hundreds have been killed, has hit the country's economy as well as supplies to east and central African neighbours.

KENYA: Angela: "My children need to start school but we're stuck in the camp" NAIROBI, 15 January 2008 (IRIN) - Angela, in her thirties, who did not wish to be identified, was born in the vast slum of Kibera in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and has lived there all her life. Today, however, she is one of an estimated 2,400 people living in the city's Jamhuri Park, where she fled during violence in Kibera after the 27 December elections. full report

KENYA: Health workers grappling with conflict-related sexual violence NAIROBI, 15 January 2008 (IRIN) - As Kenya counts the human and material cost of the political violence, hospitals are reporting an increase in reported rapes during the immediate post-election period, spurring the government and health organisations to find ways to treat these cases as well as protect the displaced from further incidents of sexual violence. full report

What Africa needs

We are called to assist the earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own -- indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty, and wonder.- Wangari MaathaiKenyan environmentalist, political activist, and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Africa: Crisis Points

Crisis in Congo

Congo is Kenya's neighbor. Crisis in the region causes instability in neighboring countries. Quakers have a significant community in eastern Congo, experiencing desperate living conditions. A quarter million people have been displaced in this most recent chapter of the civil war in Congo. Here's how you can help:

+ Read posts about the escalating crisis in Congo+ Act by contacting elected officials+ Pray for all concerned that the conflict may be ended+ Give generously to support relief efforts.

Encourage your Quaker meeting or Friends church to get involved in bringing peace in Congo, one of the ten most under-reported humanitarian stories for the past decade (Doctors without Borders).

God's Politics Blog

Never doubt

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”--Margaret Mead (1901-1978)

Give generously

The need and opportunity for pastoral leadership and ministry...in Kenya has never been so vital.At the same time, the challenges for ministry in East Africa are greater than ever.> Give generously toFUM's "Kenya Relief Fund."Kindly earmark your gift for this purpose.

Welcome to Kenya News

This blog was created by Mary Kay Rehard and is intended as a place Friends (Quakers) and others may share news about Kenya, especially regarding the crisis of post-election violence. Disclaimer: The views expressed in postings do not necessarily reflect the views of myself or any organization mentioned on this site. Messages may contain breaking news and details should be confirmed.Check out the links belowfor news and updates out of Kenya, background and ways to give funds for relief. Click on any of the Blog Archive listings to view a posting.> View a concise chronology of the post-election crisis.

Daily Devotions from Taizé

Whoever seeks reconciliation with a simple heart is able to pass through rock-hard situations like the water of a stream that, in early springtime, makes its way through the still-frozen ground. -Brother Roger of Taizé.

There are physical forms of violence on earth, including war, torture, murder…. There are other more subtle forms of violence that are concealed in cunning tactics, in suspicion, mistrust, humiliation…. “There is no violence in God. God sent Christ not to accuse us, but to call us to himself, not to condemn us, but because he loves us.”-Letter to Diognetus

Friends Plan Peace Conference - Jan 24-27 Kakamega

Kenyan Yearly Meetings and Quaker organizations will hold a Quaker Peace Conference 24-27th January 2008 at Sheywe Guest House, Kakamega, to analyze recent events in Kenya and discern God’s call for Friends’ ministries in this context.

The conference will bring together 60 participants, including the leaders of all fifteen Kenyan Yearly Meetings, the leaders of the Kenyan Quaker peace organizations, and others representing Friends programmes and ministries, including schools, hospitals, and evangelistic missions.

Participants will explore seven themes in small groups:

+ Peace and non-violence as central to the gospel+ Trauma healing and post-conflict ministries+ Humanitarian needs, Internally Displaced People and vulnerable populations+ Ethnic conflict and reconciliation toward a harmonious society+ Preaching and evangelism in the present context+ The mission of our institutions of education and healthcare+ Global partnership and the role of our international/ecumenical partners

Worship and Biblical reflections will be woven throughout the programme.

The purpose of the conference is to pray together for unity and purposeas Friends, to offer the gift of our Testimonies to our nation of Kenya during this time of unrest, and through the long process of reconciliation and healing that lies ahead.

Finding the actors: data on selected peace organizations in Kenya

By Wakuraya Wanjohi, in Wajibu 2007

A number of organizations in Kenya have made it their concern, not only to try and solve conflict between warring groups but also to teach individuals how they can become better instruments of peacemaking. In the overview of such groups below, we have excluded most organizations that work on a district or provincial level.

For information about these bodies, the organization to contact is PeaceNet. It is PeaceNet’s objective to coordinate the work of the various peace groups in the country. We have also included organizations that work on pan-African or international level but which have a substantial local programme.

Security Research and Information CentreBox 56622 Nbi 00200449503sric - at - srickenya.orgSecurity Research and Information

Shinystat

The answers to Kenya's problems are in Kenya. In fact, God is in Kenya, though sometimes in disguise. One of the best things we can offer Kenya is to look for God here, to document not the atrocities but the epiphanies of God here. --Dr Raymond Downing, Webuye, Kenya